Lighting fixture mounting bracket

ABSTRACT

A bracket for mounting a lighting fixture on the grid suspension system of a suspended ceiling. Locking tabs fasten one end of the mounting bracket to the lighting fixture, and a two-part clamp structure fastens the other end of the mounting bracket the vertical web of an inverted T-bar suspension grid member.

United States Patent Earl J. Freeman 6/1960 Stubbs 52/484 X 3,004,636 10/1961 Shane 52/484 X FOREIGN PATENTS 811,520 4/1959 Great Britain 52/484 1,121,791 l/l962 Germany 52/484 51,096 12/1935 Denmark 248/2265 Primary Examiner-Chancellor E. Harris Assistant Examiner-William H. Schultz Attorney-Clifford B. Price ABSTRACT: A bracket for mounting a lighting fixture on the grid suspension system of a suspended ceiling. Locking tabs fasten one end of the mounting bracket to the lighting fixture, and a two-part clamp structure fastens the other end of the mounting bracket the vertical web of an inverted T-bar suspension grid member.

PATENVTEU m2 m1 3586282 INVENTOP EARL J. FREEMAN BY WWW ATTORNEY LIGHTING FIXTURE MOUNTING BRACKET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to lighting fixtures and particularly to support bracket means for the type of lighting fixtures which are recessed in a grid suspended ceiling.

2. Description of the Prior Art A conventional mounting bracket is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,398, wherein a fork-shaped end member of the mounting bracket rests upon the grid member of the ceiling suspension system. However, there is no positive engagement of the fork end member with the grid member so that the fork member is securely fastened to the grid member.

A mounting bracket is available in the art, and it is made up of two parts with two screws holding the parts together. When the screws are loosened, the mounting bracket can slip off the rounded or square bulb portion on the upper end of the vertical web of the T-shaped grid member. When these two screws are tightened, the two pieces then clamp around the bulb of the grid member. If an upward force is applied to the bracket, the bracket can be pulled off the grid member. Furthennore, in mounting the bracket and mounting fixture, it is difficult to hold the lighting fixture in position while fastening a plurality of screws on the mounting bracket. Consequently, the object of the invention herein is to provide a simplified mounting bracket fastening means so that the mounting bracket may be readily and firmly fastened to the vertical web member of the T-shaped gridmember.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The grid bracket is fastened to the lighting fixture with a tab-lock structure on the lighting fixture passing through a slot on the mounting bracket. The lower end of the mounting bracket is provided with a two-part bracket structure. Two protruding tabs on one part of the bracket structure engage the second part of the bracket structure and prevent the two parts from moving relative to each other while a screw is used to fasten the two parts of the bracket together around the vertical web of the T-shaped grid member. Tabs on the lower portion of the brackets engage the enlarged portion of the vertical web of the T-shaped grid member to prevent the mounting bracket from being pulled off the vertical web.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bracket mounted on the grid member; and

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The mounting bracket assembly 2 is fastened at its upper end to the lighting fixture 4. The lighting fixture 4 has a tab 6 which passes through a hole 8 in the mounting bracket assembly. The bending over of the end of the tab after it passes through the hole 8 fixedly positions the lighting fixture relative to the mounting bracket assembly 2. Normally two tabs are used to fasten the lighting fixture to each mounting bracket.

The opposite end of the mounting bracket is used to fasten the bracket assembly to the vertical web 10 of a grid member I2 which is part of the suspended ceiling system. The end of the mounting bracket adjacent the grid member is formed of two parts. The first part 14 is an integral part of the mounting bracket assembly which is'fastened at its upper end to the lighting fixture. The second part 16 is much smaller and coacts with part 14 to form a clamplike structure for fastening the mounting bracket assembly to the grid member. Part 14 has fiat areas 18 and 22 which are placed adjacent flat areas 20 and 24 of part 16. Between these two fiat areas, raised areas 26 and 28 exist by reason of the parts 14 and 16 being bent out in a generally concave configuration. These concave areas 26 and 28 pass around the enlarged portion 30 of the vertical web 10 of the grid member 12.

The two parts 14 and 16 are held together by means of two tabs 32 which are bent out of part 14 and hang over the upper edge of part 16. A screw 34 is used to fasten parts 14 and 16 together. The tabs 32 prevent the rotation of part 14 relative to part 16 during the time that the screw is being used to clamp the two parts 14 and 16 together. Consequently, by the tightening of only one screw, the clamp structure formed by parts 14 and 16 may be drawn up tight against the vertical web 10 of the grid member 12; and due to the presence of the tabs 32, there is no need for a workman to hold the two parts 14 and 16 against rotation while the screw 34 is being tightened.

Bent out from the walls of the concave areas 26 and 28 are tabs 36. At least one tab is bent out from each part 14 and 16, and the tabs project into the concave areas 26 and 28. Consequently, when the parts 14 and 16 are clamped together by the screw 34, the tabs 36 will be positioned below the enlarged area 30 at the upper end of the vertical web 10. These tabs 36, during any movement which will tend to pull the bracket assembly 2 upward away from the grid member 12, engage the enlarged area 30 and prevent the mounting bracket assembly from being disengaged or slipped off from the vertical web 10.

What I claim is:

1. In a suspended ceiling system having a grid support structure and a lighting fixture, a bracket for fastening the lighting fixture to the grid support structure, said bracket having an upper end which is fastened to the lighting fixture, the lower end of the mounting bracket being a two-part clamplike means, tabs in one of the clamplike elements, engaging the other of the clamplike elements to prevent relative rotation of Y the two elements, a single fastening means clamping the two clamplike means together, said clamplike means being generally in the form of two flat surfaces separated by a concave area, a member of the grid support structure having a vertical web with an enlarged upper end, said clamplike means having the enlarged upper end of the grid support member positioned between the concave area of the two clamplike means, and tabs positioned on the clamplike means and extending into the concave area for engaging the enlarged area of the grid member to prevent the slipping of the clamplike means from the grid member. 

1. In a suspended ceiling system having a grid support structure and a lighting fixture, a bracket for fastening the lighting fixture to the grid support structure, said bracket having an upper end which is fastened to the lighting fixture, the lower end of the mounting bracket being a two-part clamplike means, tabs in one of the clamplike elements, engaging the other of the clamplike elements to prevent relative rotation of the two elements, a single fastening means clamping the two clamplike means together, said clamplike means being generally in the form of two flat surfaces separated by a concave area, a member of the grid support structure having a vertical web with an enlarged upper end, said clamplike means having the enlarged upper end of the grid support member positioned between the concave area of the two clamplike means, and tabs positioned on the clamplike means and extending into the concave area for engaging the enlarged area of the grid member to prevent the slipping of the clamplike means from the grid member. 